An ultrasonic dental tool typically includes a handpiece connected to a cable that has lavage and connects electrical power, ground, and feedback circuits. The cable may include a flexible tube to provide the lavage (for example, water chlorohexidine, and/or mouth wash). The cable connects a scaling unit to the handpiece circuits.
During a typical ultrasonic cleaning procedure, a dentist or hygienist will need to change the direction of an insert tip relative to the lay of the cable in the dental tool in order to properly adapt to the tooth surface being cleaned. Because the insert to handpiece seal is a static seal, it is not easily rotated because of frictional forces (from having a tight fit). Typically, the insert must be removed from a patient's mouth and both hands of the dentist or the hygienist must be used to rotate the tip (for example, moving from mandibular anterior to maxillary premolar). Such action interrupts workflow and, thus, productivity. Without changing the orientation of the tip, the dentist or the hygienist would have to counter the cable's torsional load on the handpiece in order to maintain proper tip angulation, which results in a higher pinch grip force. Tighter pinch grips can be a source of fatigue, reduction in tactile sensitivity, and/or the ability to assure patient comfort.
A dental medical handpiece, dental medical system including a dental medical handpiece, and a process of using a dental medical handpiece that show one or more improvements in comparison to the prior art would be desirable in the art.